Shaping the World
by Kirihana
Summary: Sequel to Sense and Sensibility. Taang, Sukka, and Zutara.  Azula is on the loose, Katara has a surprise for Zuko, and Aang has fallen in love with his best friend.  They’re just asking for drama, aren’t they?
1. No One Mourns The Wicked

New story! Yay! My first sequel! Double yay! You're actually reading this! More yay!

Okay, this first chapter is kind of weird, and it's just Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee… so you'll have to bear with me until I put the next chapter up. Enjoy!

I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

**Shaping the World**

---Chapter One: No One Mourns the Wicked---

--Two Years after Sense and Sensibility--

_"The world is meant to suit us, Azula. If for some reason it does not, we change the shape and make it suit us."_

Those words, spoken almost absently by a father to his daughter, his pride, his prodigy, had been carved into Azula's soul since she was seven years old. Assuming she had a soul, of course; even now, thirteen years later, that remained questionable.

Azula understood that whatever her father felt for her had not really been love, and she felt it was best not to care. He was dead now. If he were alive, she would be dead, that much was clear. She had failed to either capture or kill the Avatar. Her own brother, whom their father had considered worth just less than an insect, had kept her imprisoned for more than four years before allowing- he said that the Council the nations had formed to judge the war criminals had taken all that time, but she didn't care about anything he said- his blind followers to attempt to publicly execute her.

She escaped.

She found Mai, who had maybe once upon a time been her friend and for much longer been her willing minion, and they retrieved Ty Lee, who was less willing, from the circus. For two years the three of them had hidden from the Fire Nation soldiers, searching for them by Fire Lord Zuko's command. Soon Ty Lee would no longer be with them.

Azula had always been the prodigy; she was supposed to be smarter and stronger than her brother. Time had apparently not shown that, and long years in a jail cell had ruined the once perfect order of her mind.

She had regrets, now. Not that any of them involved her actions during the war. No, these regrets were far more recent, with effects reaching farther than Azula would have liked them to.

Azula didn't know the man's name. He had had a pretty face and an honest, open smile, both of which she despised. She was no longer pretty, thanks to her brother, and she had never been honest or open. His hair was long, though. She supposed she liked that. He was, by his looks, not much older than her. She was half-drunk, he was nearly sloshed. How else could he have been interested in a woman with a scarred face and only one arm? She was feeling lusty, and he somehow managed to satisfy her. She'd slipped out of his bed before dawn without waking him up, cursing herself for making such a foolish mistake. The old Azula had never made mistakes, and that the new one could was not a happy discovery.

She cursed _him_ two months later when a medicine woman in a small, unnamed town confirmed her unpleasant suspicions.

She cursed him every day as her stomach swelled and the child grew.

She cursed him again when she, Mai, and Ty Lee were forced to stop in another village and stay there because _she_ was too near her time to travel anymore.

She cursed him with every breath when she was in labor. She was used to pain; she had once reveled in it, but this had been different. This resulted in the presence of a small, slimy, screaming _thing_ that Ty Lee held near her face and asked if she wanted to see. Azula pushed it away. Ty Lee was the one that helped the midwives clean up the baby; she was the one who named him. It was a him; Azula had to remind herself, a boy. Ty Lee called him Bane, as something of a joke. The name stuck, though. It was the only thing Azula found appropriate about the child. He was the bane of her existence.

Once upon a time Azula might have seen the potential in having a son, an heir. But that was then, and things were different now. Ty Lee wanted to take care of him, and Azula didn't. The solution was simple.

Ty Lee was leaving, and she was taking the baby with her.

Azula was glad, in whatever way she could even feel glad anymore. She didn't want the baby; she'd never wanted it. Every time she happened to glance at him she was reminded that she should be the ruler of the world, and he should be her heir. Of course, had the world gone the way it should have, Azula's son would be born legitimately. Assuming she'd married and had children. Ty Lee had become annoying anyway.

That left Azula with nothing but Mai and her thoughts. Mai was quiet. Her mind was not.

Azula did not like this new world order that had formed during her imprisonment. She did not like it because there was no place in it for her.

--------

Mai watched as Ty Lee gathered the few things she claimed as hers, and the even fewer things belonging to the baby. It wasn't very interesting, but it was better than watching Azula when the former princess was lost in her thoughts. If disturbed while she was thinking, Azula had a new tendency to continue with her thoughts out loud rather than come out of them. Her once sharp mind, while not dull by any means, was warped and disjointed. Trying to make sense of her logic was not fun.

Ty Lee picked up Bane. He was seven months old already, and starting to get heavy. But she took the responsibility gladly. She'd always imagined that one day she would get married and have children, but Azula had made that appear more and more unlikely. This was the closest thing she would allow Ty Lee to have, so she was taking it. "I think that's everything," she said finally. She turned to look at Mai. "You're sure you want to stay with her?"

Mai smirked slightly. "She'd be worse if she was alone."

"Yeah." Bane squealed softly, and Ty Lee shifted him. She looked into his big green-gold eyes, and Bane squealed again, treating his caretaker with a large smile. The baby didn't really look like Azula, and he certainly didn't act like her. At least, Ty Lee didn't think so. She had no way of knowing what Azula was like when she was a baby. She turned back to Mai. "I guess this is goodbye, then. It was fun, at first."

"When did it stop being fun?" Mai surprised herself with the question, since she rarely felt curious at all, much less gave into curiosity.

Ty Lee didn't have to think very long. "On the Day of the Black Sun. The day we lost." She smiled. "Does that make me bad? That I only stopped enjoying what we did when we stopped winning?"

Mai's smirk widened just a bit. "We were always the 'bad guys', Ty Lee."

"We didn't have to be," the acrobat said, biting her lip.

"Aren't you gone yet?" Azula asked impatiently. She hadn't moved from her spot next to the fire-pit, where last night's embers had already gone out.

Ty Lee put on a smile. "I'm leaving now, Azula." She waved Bane's little hand at the former princess. "Say goodbye to mommy, Bane!"

Azula made a sound of disgust and turned away. Bane laughed, and Ty Lee smiled a little more. She turned back to Mai. "Come see me if you're ever in Gaoling, okay?"

Mai nodded. Both of them knew it was unlikely that they would ever see each other again. That Ty Lee would never see Azula again was almost guaranteed. She wasn't sure exactly how she should feel about that.

Ty Lee settled Bane in his baby-sling, picked up her things, and set off for the nearest town.

Mai watched her go for a moment before returning to Azula. "What do you want to do now?"

Azula's right hand touched the faint scars the attempted execution had left on her cheek. "I want the world, Mai. I want things to be the way they should have been six years ago." She stood up. "I want Zuko and his little wife dead."

--------

Ty Lee rubbed her shoulder where the baby-sling had hung all day. She was lucky to get a room in Gaoling's smallest inn, especially since it was near the time of the underground earthbending tournament. It wasn't an official event, but everyone knew about it, and that was all the locals could talk about. She suddenly realized that Bane had crawled in front of the fireplace and was reaching for the flames.

"Bane, no!" she cried.

The baby turned to look at her. His hand was already in the fire, and he wasn't reacting. Ty Lee jumped up and grabbed him. He let out a small cry of surprise at being lifted into the air so suddenly. Ty Lee examined his hand. There was no burn. She frowned. That wasn't possible. Even most firebenders couldn't put their hand in a flame they hadn't produced without being burned even a little.

But then, Bane's mother had been far from the average firebender.

The fact that Bane might take after his mother after all, even just in this small way, scared her.

"That's bad, Bane," she told the baby softly. "Fire is a very, very bad thing to touch."

He just looked up at her and smiled.

--------

"It is strange," Azula said later that night, "how people create the things they call evil. Two years ago I was nothing." Her voice took on an edge of bitterness. "The outcome of the war left me with nothing, and the imprisonment that followed turned me into the scarred creature I have become. It was when I escaped that the rumors flew, and the people began to fear me again. Even the mere mention of my name has many of them trembling in terror. It's only a matter of time before the rest of the world follows suit."

Mai had heard many variations on this rant before. "We should leave," she said, "before we're seen."

Azula nodded. "Of course. It wouldn't do to be caught before we've managed anything, would it?"

Ty Lee had headed south from the campsite. Azula decided that she and Mai would go north, to Ba Sing Se. It was, after all, the site of her greatest triumph. Her downfall had not come until later, after she returned to the Fire Nation. But she didn't like to think about that. She had other business for her mind to attend to, business much more important than silly, still-painful memories.

_"The world is meant to suit us, Azula. If for some reason it does not, we change the shape and make it suit us."_

---End Chapter One---

A note: Bane (pronounced bah-neh) is Japanese for "spring", as in a metal spring. Haru (who may or may not be Bane's father; I'm not going to say) is Japanese for "spring", as in the season. That's my little joke. Ty Lee does pronounce the name "bayn", so she is playing on the fact that Azula doesn't want the baby. The Hebrew word for "son" is also pronounced that way, though I chose Bane's name before I found that out. What can I say, I like word-play.

Yes, I know the idea of Azula having a kid is about as insane as her being drunk and having sex. But it's been a part of this story too long for me to take it out, and I don't want to anyway. I'm sorry if you don't like it. Hopefully you like the story so far anyway! Thanks for reading, and please review!


	2. What Is This Feeling?

...Have I mentioned how much I love you guys? Because I do. Your reviews make me feel happy!

On an entirely different note, I suffer from what I like to call Shikamaru Complex… I'm really smart, and really lazy. It's a wonder I write as much as I do… It's also a wonder that this chapter is a good few hundred words longer than the first one.

Yep, this is Chapter Two. We get to find out a bit of what's been going on with the rest of our favorite people in the two years between stories. Not to mention we finally have what the catagories promised: humor, romance, and Toph and Aang. Enjoy!

I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

**Shaping the World**

---Chapter Two: What Is This Feeling---

Upon the formation of the World Council for the Promotion of Peace (the full official name; most people simply referred to it as the World Council) two years ago, it had been decided to hold the semi-annual meetings in a different country each time. The first meeting of this year was to be on the Earth Kingdom affiliated island of Kyoshi. Though the Council itself consisted only of five people (one representative from each country and the Avatar), the rulers of the nations had become advisors to the Council and were thus also present for the meetings. A dock had been built at Kyoshi's natural harbor after the war, making it easier for the council members and guests to arrive by ship. After all, not everyone had a flying bison.

Two days before the meeting was to take place, three women stood on a cliff that overlooked the ocean that surrounded Kyoshi.

Katara scanned the skies, a small frown forming on her lips. "They're late."

Suki smiled at her sister-in-law. "They'll be here, Katara. Relax."

Vana Bei Fong, unlike the wife of the Fire Lord, stared out at the sea, where a ship flying Earth Kingdom flags was perfectly visible but still too far away from Kyoshi's harbor for her liking. She twisted the ring she wore on her left third finger, which featured a fairly large diamond, and shivered slightly, despite the thick off-white cloak that shielded her from the worst of the cold.

"Katara," she said in a rather strained voice, "couldn't you just bring the ship in a little faster?"

Suki, completely at ease in her Kyoshi Warrior's uniform, laughed and shifted the position of her sleeping young daughter, Sari. Katara, dressed in a blue parka like she used to wear in the South Pole and oblivious to the temperature anyway, continued to stare into the sky. "No, Vana, I can't."

"You'll see your fiancé soon enough," Suki said teasingly to Vana. "It's been less than a month."

Katara's eyes saddened slightly. Vana looked swiftly at the woman she served as head lady-in-waiting and then looked down, ashamed. "I'm sorry, Katara. But the Fire Lord is supposed to get here tomorrow, isn't he?"

"Yes. This is the longest Zuko and I have been apart since we were married."

Suki sighed. "Two months away from a husband... I know why you can't stand it, but for me that might be bliss."

"Suki!" the waterbender cried. Her sister-in-law laughed again.

"Don't get me wrong, Katara; I love your brother dearly. However, you should remember what it's like to live with him."

Katara smiled slightly. "He still leaves his dirty socks on the floor, doesn't he?"

"They're nearly in the harbor!" Vana shrieked, having no interest in Sokka's socks and pointing at the ship below. Her expression of excitement became one of horror. "And I'm not even dressed properly!" She turned and dashed down the path that led back to the village, her loose black hair flying behind her.

"That ship won't be here for another two hours at least," Suki said.

"She'll take that long to get ready. She'd swim to him if it wouldn't ruin her clothes."

The two married women laughed before following their friend.

--------

Zuko paced the deck of his ship. If any of the crew found his restlessness unusual, they didn't say so. Iroh, on the other hand, knew exactly why Zuko was pacing and found it rather amusing.

Two months ago he'd been visiting Kyoshi with Katara, only to be called back to the Fire Nation at Iroh's request. Zuko had reluctantly left his wife with her brother's family, expecting to return for her in less than two weeks. His work had kept him much longer, as he had to deal with an uppity councilor, inept scribes, and a very small island uprising. He only hoped nothing would happen while he and Iroh were at the World Council meeting.

Zuko mostly wanted to see Katara again: to take her in his arms and… well, probably do the same thing they'd done the night before he left Kyoshi, only without the depressing factor of imminent separation.

He smiled slightly at the thought.

--------

Vana stood at the front of the group waiting for the Earth King to disembark from his ship, bouncing on the balls of her feet like a rather impatient child. Her appearance, beyond this particular behavior, was that of a fine lady; in the time since leaving the cliff she had curled and pinned up her hair, applied makeup to her face, and exchanged her simple, unadorned morning dress for one of heavily embroidered green silk, just visible beneath a dark green cloak that matched her eyes.

The moment Kuei stepped off the dock and onto Kyoshi soil, a green blur rushed forward from the small crowd and embraced him. He smiled and wrapped his arms around his fiancée before she lifted her face and they kissed.

Sokka shook his head. "Anyone else think those two are just a little too in love?" His answer was an elbow thrust into his side by his wife. "Ow!"

Katara watched Vana and the Earth King with more than a little bit of envy. One more day, she reminded herself. Just one more day, and she could give Zuko the good news in person. She smiled at the idea of her secret.

--------

"We can't be lost."

"Just admit it, Twinkletoes; it'll save us so much more time."

"I guess you'd like to read the map, then."

"That was unnecessarily cruel."

"Sorry, Toph. I just don't understand how this happened. We've been to Kyoshi a thousand times, and we've never gotten lost before."

During the steadily increasing times that he didn't have to oversee the World Council for the Promotion of Peace, Aang and Toph resumed their traveling about the world. This time, though, they had a purpose: Aang was searching for anyone who might have the potential to become an airbender. Rumors and claims abounded, but they had yet to find a genuine candidate. Aang was no longer the eternal optimistic he'd once been, but he was not going to give up just yet. Sokka had, during one of their visits, commented that if he wanted more airbenders he should just sire them himself. Aang had blushed fiercely and stammered out some sort of response, and Toph had laughed. At least, that was what she did on the outside. On the inside she thought that Sokka's suggestion had been logical (alcohol induced, maybe, but logical). She just didn't want to have to feel Aang falling in love with someone. Not that she'd ever admit it to anyone, of course.

"Look, there it is!" Toph pointed.

"Where?" Aang scanned the ocean below them.

"I can't believe you still fall for that."

"Me neither, but I guess I deserved it after the map thing." He checked the map again.

"Doesn't Appa know where he's going, anyway?"

"He forgets, sometimes."

"Like he did when we went back to Bara?" They'd ended up landing in a field several miles from the town known for its Rose Blooming Festival.

"Don't remind me of that."

"Oh, but fighting those drunks was fun!"

"I see it! I see Kyoshi Island!"

"Nice to know one of us can. It's about time we got there; I think my feet are numb."

--------

"Aang! Toph! It's good to see both of you!" Katara hugged her two long-time friends. Sokka grinned at them both and ruffled Toph's hair, for which she swatted him. Suki smiled. Aang noticed the baby the Kyoshi warrior was carrying.

"Ah! I forgot you guys had a kid! What's her name?" He began to make faces at the baby without waiting for an answer, and everyone laughed when Sari screamed and hid her face in her mother's shoulder.

Aang grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. I don't hang around babies a lot." He turned to Katara. "Where's Zuko?"

"He's coming tomorrow," she said quickly. "You all must be tired after flying all day. Come on, we'll get Appa settled and then we can all go for a walk around the island."

"A walk sounds good to me," Toph agreed. "I need to get my healthy coating of earth back."

Aang laughed. "I don't know; I kind of like you clean."

Toph replied by pushing him into a nearby mud puddle. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down with him. Everyone laughed.

"Baths before dinner," Katara said firmly. "You two have reputations to uphold."

"So?" the Avatar and the earthbender said in unison.

"I don't think the Earth King wants the World Council representative of his country to be covered in mud."

"Spoilsport. Aang reads your letters out loud for me; I know the Earth King will be too busy staring at Vana to care what her cousin looks like." She bended the mud off herself and Aang. "Happy now?"

"You're still taking a bath."

"I'm eighteen. Shouldn't I be able to make that decision myself?"

"No."

"You haven't changed a bit, Sugar Queen. Not a bit."

--------

"Ugh." Toph pulled out the pins that held her hair up in a bun and shook it loose. "I hate formal dinners like that, and we're going to have two more while we're here. I don't mind parties, because I don't have to stay there the whole time and I don't have to talk to the people around me. But at dinners you're expected to, and it's not like you can shout down the table at someone else."

Aang laughed. They were walking in the woods just outside the village. The sun had set long ago and the moon was high in the sky, providing enough light for Aang to see by. Toph, of course, didn't need it. "The company tonight wasn't so bad. At least we're friends with most of them."

"Yeah, but you didn't have to sit next to my cousin and the Earth King. Those two whisper the sappiest, stupidest things to each other; I felt like I was going to barf."

"I was sitting across from you, remember? I couldn't hear what they were saying, but they did look really lovey-dovey." He was quiet for a moment. Toph didn't really mind, since she knew he was thinking about something and it wouldn't take long before he told her what. They reached the edge of the forest and the cliff on which Katara, Suki, and Vana had stood that morning. Toph plopped down on the ground with complete disregard for her nice clothes, her unbound hair poofing up behind her for a moment. Aang sat down next to her, with more grace and less noise.

"Do you ever think about stuff like that, Toph?"

"Stuff like what?"

"You know, being in love and getting married. Like Katara and Zuko, Sokka and Suki, and now Vana and the Earth King." He half-expected her to snort and say something about being too young, or simply not caring about things like that. Instead Toph lifted her face slightly, her sightless eyes directed at the moon. Aang secretly thought that she looked very pretty like that, with her hair falling all around and the moonlight shining on her, but he knew not to say so. Instead he smiled a little, without fully realizing it.

Toph felt Aang's heartbeat increase, and she knew he was staring at her again. It happened a lot, and she had a feeling she knew what it meant. But she liked things the way they were. She wasn't sure she wanted anything to change between them. "I guess I think about it sometimes," she said finally. "I know my parents want me to come home and get married and never leave the house again. I don't like any of the people they've picked out. They're either wimps and too weak to stand up for anything, or think they're going to control me. Even after all these years and everything I've done, they all think I'm something delicate, to be handled carefully so I won't break. My parents have gotten a little better about that, but not much. It doesn't matter to them that I could beat every one of the guards we've got at home without even breaking a sweat. They still see a blind little girl."

"You know what I see, Toph?" Aang said quietly. "I see a young woman who's proven time and time again that she's the strongest person I know, no matter what anyone else thinks about her."

She smiled. "Thanks, Twinkletoes. So, do you think about that stuff? Love, I mean, and getting married?" If he noticed the ever-so-slight tremor in her voice, he didn't react to it.

"Sometimes. It would be hard, because I'm the Avatar. I'd have to find someone who could handle that, and not be afraid to fight by my side if I needed her to."

"I think any girl would be happy to marry you," Toph said slowly.

Aang wanted to tell her that he didn't want any girl. He wanted a certain girl. But he didn't say that. "Thanks, Toph. What would I ever do without you?" His tone was sarcastic, because of course anyone could have told him that, but he meant the words.

She grinned, because she saw through the sarcasm. "That's easy, Twinkletoes. You'd be hopelessly bored."

He smiled. "Yeah, you definitely make life more interesting."

---End Chapter Two---

I like this chapter. I think Taang is easier for me to write than Zutara... Thanks for reading, and please review!


	3. Something Bad

So I finally managed to finish this chapter… It was giving me trouble. (That's right, Naruto fans: the third was giving me trouble. Go ahead, laugh.) But I finished it and now I'm posting it and everyone should be happy. Except for the Maiko in the season three premiere… but that's why we have fanfiction. Enjoy!

I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

**Shaping the World**

---Chapter Three: Something Bad---

Suki watched her sister-in-law carefully as Katara held Sari, who was falling asleep. She decided that she couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"So, when are you going to tell Zuko?" she asked. "Assuming you haven't told him yet, of course."

Katara turned away from her sister-in-law and continued to rock her young niece to sleep. "I don't know what you're talking about," she lied.

Suki rolled her eyes. "Don't play dumb, Katara. I've seen your face every time you held Sari for the past week, and I've seen plenty of women with that expression. It always means the same thing."

Katara smiled. "Well, I'm not telling anyone until I tell Zuko."

"I knew it!" Suki said triumphantly as she reclaimed her daughter. "When are you going to tell Zuko? How long have you known? When are you due? Have you thought of any names yet?"

Katara laughed. "Suki!"

The Kyoshi warrior grinned. "I'm just curious."

"I'm still not telling," the waterbender said firmly.

"Fine, I'll wait until you announce it to the world. And I won't tell anyone else; I couldn't possibly deprive you of the looks on their faces."

--------

Katara was surprisingly more reserved than Vana had been the day before while she waited for Zuko's ship to finish docking. Instead of dressing in her best clothes, she wore her blue parka and simply pulled her hair back into a braid. She looked very much like the girl who had, six years ago, watched as Prince Zuko arrived at her home in the South Pole. Of course, this time she was happy, not afraid.

Naturally, all hesitation and sense of dignity vanished the moment Zuko stepped off the ship and onto the dock. Katara ran toward her husband, delighted when he caught her in his arms and twirled her around as they greeted each other with a kiss. He smiled at her when they parted. "I take it you missed me, then?"

She laughed and kissed him again.

--------

The Fire Lord and Lady left the formal dinner- held at the mayor's house- early that night, though surprisingly without excuse. Sokka questioned Suki's rather mischievous grin, but his wife denied him any information whatsoever.

Katara led Zuko into the mayor's garden. While it wasn't nearly as lavish as the ones at the Fire Nation palace, both of them found such a setting relaxing. She stopped at a bench beneath a blooming cherry blossom tree, where the two of them sat down. Zuko would have been perfectly content staring at his wife for eternity, even when she looked up at the pink flowers above them instead of at him.

"I have a surprise for you," Katara said, breaking the silence. "It's been agony, waiting so I could tell you first, and in person."

"I'm here now," he said with a smile.

She smiled back. "I know." She leaned closer, as though she was going to kiss him, but instead she whispered in his ear. "You're going to be a father."

Zuko sat back and stared at Katara again, only this time his expression was of dumbfounded surprise. She was one of the few people in the world that truly understood what such a thing meant to him, so he knew she wasn't joking. Slowly a smile spread across his face. "I'm going to be a father…" he repeated.

Katara nodded. Zuko blinked. "Uncle's going to have fits of joy."

"But not you?"

"I'm keeping them inside. He won't." He ran a hand through his hair, not caring if it dislodged the flame-shaped crown. "We're having a baby?"

"We're having a baby," Katara confirmed, trying not to laugh.

Zuko had thought, that morning, that he could not possibly be happier than he was the moment he had Katara in his arms. He was glad to be proved wrong.

--------

"What are you so happy about?" Sokka asked his brother-in-law as they made their way to their seats for the council meeting. Their wives (and the two Bei Fong girls) were running just a little late and had insisted the men go on without them. The meeting was being held in a hall specially built for the purpose, as near to the center of the village as possible.

Zuko was in such a good mood that he couldn't even be sarcastic to Sokka. "Katara's having a baby."

"What?!"

Aang, who was right behind them and overheard, smiled at Sokka's response. "Congratulations, Zuko. You guys are gonna be great parents."

"I hope so," the Fire Lord replied. The three separated, Aang going to the part of the round table nearest the door. Zuko sat down on the western side, while Sokka's seat was at the south-east, between his father's group and the Earth King.

The rest of the council and those required to be present filed in gradually, Iroh giving his nephew a hearty pat on the back before sitting to his left. Katara sat on his right, beaming as the Southern Water Tribe delegate gave his congratulations. Toph, across the table, looked annoyed at being put next to her cousin and the Earth King again. Aang, separated from her by the Northern Water Tribe delegation, had no way of communicating his sympathy. He settled for waiting for everyone to finish their individual conversations so the meeting could begin.

--------

Toph decided that the World Council meetings could not be more boring if made so on purpose. Most of the discussion so far had been about trade between the Fire Nation and the Water Tribes, leaving Toph with nothing to do but listen to something she had no interest in. She therefore had spent most of the meeting with her arms sprawled out on top of the table and her head on her hands.

Toph sat up suddenly when she felt hurried footsteps approaching the room.

"Twinkletoes," she said sharply just before the door to the council chamber opened. Aang twisted around in his seat, and all eyes went to the door. A messenger wearing Earth Kingdom livery stood in the doorway, panting heavily. A scroll was clutched tightly in his hand. He held it out to Aang. "I was told to deliver this to you, Avatar."

The eighteen-year-old accepted the scroll with a small smile, but it wasn't returned. The feeling that something was wrong grew.

Aang read the message quickly, his gray eyes narrowing in displeasure. "It's from General Tsao," he said, naming an officer in charge of an area outside Omashu. The Avatar spoke quietly, but the room was so silent that everyone heard him. "Azula's been seen in the Earth Kingdom."

It seemed as though they all gasped at once. Underneath the table, Katara squeezed Zuko's hand.

Chief Arnook frowned. "But she has been seen many times before this, hasn't she?"

"She's never been seen outside the Fire Nation, and the sightings were never confirmed," Iroh said. None of those present had ever really thought of the general as old, but suddenly he looked it. "Furthermore, the last unconfirmed sighting was nearly six months ago." Iroh glanced at his nephew before turning back to the Avatar. "Should we vote on what action to take?"

Aang nodded. "Let me think for a minute."

"It could be nothing," Sokka said. "Maybe just paranoia, or someone made a mistake."

The Earth King shook his head. "Perhaps during the war, but not now. None of the generals would send a message like this unless they were sure."

Aang held up a hand, indicating his desire to speak without interruption. "I want not only the Council, but also the chiefs, the Earth King, and the Fire Lord to vote on this," he said slowly. "I motion that Toph and I investigate the matter, and go after Azula if necessary."

"I second the motion," Toph said instantly. Finally, a little action! She loved just traveling around, but potential danger and plenty of fighting was the kind of life Toph thrived in.

"The motion goes to a vote, then. All in favor?"

The council members and rulers all raised their hands.

Aang sighed deeply. "Motion passed, then. If you all will excuse us, Toph and I have to pack."

--------

"I'm scared, Zuko," Katara whispered to her husband as they lay in bed that night. "I know it's been two years, and we don't even know what Azula plans to do. I'm not scared for myself, but the baby…"

Zuko held her tighter. "I know. I don't want our child to be born into the kind of world we grew up in. I want our child- our children- to know only peace."

"We shouldn't worry," Katara said. "Even if Azula is up to something, Aang and Toph will find her. They'll take her down, and everything will be right again."

It was something they both really, really wanted to believe.

--------

The same people that had been present for Aang and Toph's arrival on Kyoshi were there for their departure, but the mood was completely different. It seemed only Toph was cheerful, happy to be on the move again. She had, rather than saying individual goodbyes, waved in her friends' general direction and now sat on Appa's back, laughing as Momo chattered at her.

Down on the ground, Katara embraced Aang. "Take care of yourself," she said. "And Toph, as much as she'll let you." They both laughed.

Katara stepped back, and Sokka came forward. He clapped a hand on Aang's shoulder. "When you get back, we're going to have another 'talk', okay?"

The Avatar blushed fiercely, recalling the last "talk" the warrior had felt the need to give him. "That's really not necessary, Sokka."

Sokka grinned. "Really? Because I was under the impression that you and Toph had never-" Suki covered her husband's mouth just in time.

She smiled at Aang, completely ignoring Sokka's attempt to free himself. "Good luck, Aang!"

He smiled warmly. "Thanks, Suki. I'll see you all soon, I promise." He climbed onto Appa's saddle.

"Ready to go, Twinkletoes?" Toph asked.

He grinned. "With you? Always. Appa, yip yip!"

The residents of Kyoshi and four people in particular watched as the flying bison flew away.

---End Chapter Three---

Gah, this feels like more filler. Short filler, since the two previous chapters are longer. I hate having multiple chapters that feel like filler, but at least a few things happened. Thanks for reading, and please review!


	4. Dancing Through Life

I know, I took a while with this chapter. It happens. We've got a little bit of everything this time, including humor, romance, drama, and a few cameos. So without further delay… Enjoy!

I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

**Shaping the World**

---Chapter Four: Dancing Through Life---

Ty Lee twirled, her movement hiding her smile as more money hit the bottom of the canister in front of the sungi horn player. The street musicians had been doing just fine before she came along; they certainly didn't _need_ her to dance to pull in a bit of cash. Nonetheless, her dancing had already brought twice the crowd to their corner of the Gaoling market in the week since she'd started.

It was advantageous all around, really. She earned enough money to live on, the band made more money than they did without her, and the band leader's tone-deaf wife babysat Bane when they were performing. He needed watching, after the fireplace incident.

Ty Lee winked at a young male spectator, making him blush. Dancing on the street wasn't exactly what she'd always dreamed of, but it would have to do. Her hair, now worn in multiple, thin braids, swirled around her as the green skirt over her puffed pants flared out.

If Mai and Azula saw her now, Ty Lee felt that her old friends wouldn't recognize her.

--------

"So she hasn't been seen since," Aang said, trying to keep his disappointment out of his voice. It wasn't that he was looking forward to meeting Azula again, but he had hoped to settle this quickly.

General Tsao sighed. "I'm afraid not, Avatar Aang. It's been two months since Azula was last seen in this area."

"In other words, we came all this way for nothing," Toph said. "Great."

"I did get a message that she was seen outside Gaoling about a month ago, if that helps," the general added. "I'm sorry I don't have any more information for you."

"That's okay," Aang assured him. "Come on, Toph."

The earthbending master groaned. "We're not going to see my parents, are we? Don't you remember what happened last time?"

Aang paused as his mind recalled the rather satisfying image of three men the Bei Fong's had considered potential suitors for their daughter, all buried upside down with their feet flailing wildly. "Yeah, I remember. If they try anything, you can just do that again."

"True. Okay, let's go."

General Tsao was left staring at the Avatar and his former earthbending teacher, guessing that he was not the first to be subjected to such a conversation and he would be far from the last.

--------

"The person in charge of this sort of thing is supposed to be here soon, but until then…" Vana held her brush poised above a notepad. "Names."

Katara and Zuko looked at each other. "Names?" They had only returned to the Fire Nation two days ago, but Vana insisted they start planning for the baby as soon as possible. The royal couple was inclined to protest, since they hadn't even made the official announcement, but Vana assured them that would be covered in their discussion. So they gave in, and now the three of them were sitting in their favorite parlor (which happened to be the location of a now-famous Story Night two years ago).

"Of course!" Vana said, looking mildly scandalized. "You have to decide this sort of thing early."

"We do?" At this rate, speaking in unison would become a bad habit.

The door to the royal couple's private parlor opened, and a familiar old woman entered the room.

Vana, Katara, and Zuko all stared at her.

Lady Junbi opened her mouth to speak.

"NO!" Zuko shouted. Vana looked at the Fire Lord in alarm, while Katara's hand went to her forehead.

"Spirits help us," the Fire Lady muttered.

"Out," Zuko said in a much calmer and much more furious voice, pointing at Lady Junbi.

"But your majesty…" the noblewoman began.

"I said out!"

Lady Junbi did as she was told, but she didn't look very happy about it. Zuko, on the other hand, returned to his seat with an unusually bright smile.

Katara shook her head. "I appreciate that you want to help, Vana, but you're getting married in a month and it will take most of that time just for you to get to Ba Sing Se. Shouldn't you be more concerned about that instead of what Zuko and I are going to name our child?"

Vana didn't appear to be paying attention. "Zutara," she said thoughtfully, "has a nice ring to it. Only if it's a girl, though. Can you imagine naming a boy something like that? Or perhaps Ursa, after the Fire Lord's mother…"

"Vana…" Now Katara was starting to get annoyed by her friend. Zuko was trying to comprehend the name "Zutara".

"Naming a boy is more difficult… You can't really name it after anyone, since it's inappropriate to name a child after someone still living and it's even more inappropriate to name one after the Fire Lord's deceased male relatives."

"Vana Bei Fong, just because you are going to be Queen of the Earth Kingdom does not mean I am going to let you choose a name for my baby!"

Vana was extremely surprised by the Fire Lady's outburst. Zuko sighed. "Besides, Fire Nation custom dictates that until a child is born, only the parents are supposed to know its name."

Vana looked embarrassed. "You'd think after two years here I'd have learned that sort of thing." She stood up. "I'll just excuse myself, then, and I'll see you at dinner." She curtsied to both of them before exiting.

Katara turned to her husband, relief clear in her eyes. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. We're not naming our daughter Zutara."

"Agreed."

--------

There was no logical reason for Azula to go to Ba Sing Se, and yet that was where she was headed. Something deep inside insisted she go there, so she did.

Mai followed Azula still. She wasn't sure why. She certainly hadn't gained anything from it. If Azula succeeded in her eventual plan (assuming it was attempted; at this point they didn't seem to be moving in that direction), what would Mai's place be? How long would it take before someone struck Azula down, and what would happen to Mai then?

She wondered these things as they waited for the ferry that would bring them even closer to Ba Sing Se.

--------

"I must confess," Lao Bei Fong said slowly, "that our concerns for our daughter's welfare are very real, Master Honoka." Next to him, his wife took a dainty sip of her tea.

The man across the table smiled. "I understand perfectly, Lord Bei Fong. Rest assured that Oroka will be inheriting all of my assets. He also receives a sizable yearly allowance as it is. My son will make sure that your daughter is not only well-provided for but also well-protected."

"And you're sure he can… handle Toph?"

"With ease, sir."

Lao smiled and raised his glass. "To a fine match, then. I only hope Toph comes home soon so we can give her the good news."

--------

It was rather easy for Mai and Azula to get into Ba Sing Se, and another time Mai might have almost found it funny. The two of them were obviously of Fire Nation descent, despite their ragged Earth Kingdom clothes, but in these times of peace such things weren't supposed to matter.

At any rate, the ride into the city was boring. Mai looked across the car at a woman with her daughter. The girl couldn't have been more than five or six.

"You were born just outside Ba Sing Se," the mother said softly, "a few months before the war ended. The world was a dark place then, and that's why you were named Hope."

The young girl looked at her mother and asked something, but Mai had already stopped listening to them. She glanced at Azula, who was staring out the window. Hope was fine for the common people, but it did the two of them little good. A small scowl that was making its presence known more and more often appeared on Mai's face.

Azula, far more absorbed in what she could see of the city rather than her companion, was simply glad there was no glass in the windows. Glass was reflective, and she disliked seeing herself these days. Her hair was worn down now, and it was tangled more often than not. Even Mai's once lustrous hair was far less beautiful than it had been. Azula missed her fine Fire Nation clothes. She missed her hairbrush. She missed her crown most of all.

--------

"What are you going to do if your parents try to keep you at home again?" Aang asked as he started their campfire. They were only about an hour from Gaoling, but both of them decided they'd rather go there in the morning.

"Same thing I always do," Toph replied. It was a pointless question, and both of them knew it. "Run away and not come back for a few months."

"It's been almost a year this time." Aang set up the kettle to boil water for tea and then sat down next to Toph. "They're not going to know whether they should be happy to see you or mad that you were gone so long."

Toph laughed. "I think I'd rather that they were mad at me. It's their own fault anyway, for pushing three suitors all at once."

Aang was quite for a moment. "What if they try to make you get married?"

Toph could feel how much Aang hated that idea, but she laughed it off. "As if they could make me do anything."

She felt his heartbeat increasing.

"Toph, I…" He gulped. This shouldn't be so hard; he'd known what he was about to say for a long time. He'd practiced it in his head over and over again. It should be easy to tell her. "I…"

She knew what he was going to say. She willed him not to say it.

"… Iloveyou," he blurted.

Silence.

"… Toph, I love you," he repeated, slightly relieved to discover that it was easier the second time.

She stared in his direction, sightless green eyes wide with… astonishment, maybe? Any minute she'd smile and say it back, and then they'd kiss and everything would be perfect. Aang was sure of it. That was what happened every time he imagined this moment, anyway, and the spirits knew he had imagined it more than once.

Toph closed her gaping mouth, but only for a second. "Why'd you have to go and ruin everything?" she asked.

"W-wha… What?" Aang sputtered.

Toph stood up. "Why couldn't you just let things stay the way they were? Why did you have to go and say something so… so _stupid_?!"

She turned and walked away from him before he could even respond.

---End Chapter Four---

I hope most of you remember Lady Junbi from Sense and Sensibility. If you do, then you know why Zuko reacted the way he did. And I know, I need to stop making jokes about Zuko naming a daughter "Zutara". That part was actually written before I finished The Thin Line, so I apologize to those of you who read that for repeating the joke.

I'm sorry for the cliffhanger too, but hopefully I won't leave you hanging for too long (you never know…) Thank you for reading, and please review!


	5. I'm Not That Girl

Well, I sort of got over my long bout of writer's block… I managed to finish this chapter, at least! This story continues to completely ignore everything that has happened in Season Three so far, because I started it before Season Three began. So... yeah. Enjoy!

I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

**Shaping the World**

---Chapter Five: I'm Not That Girl---

Toph walked away quickly, hoping that Aang would at least be smart enough to not follow her right away, since he obviously wasn't smart enough to keep his mouth shut. She needed time to process what had just happened. She leaned against a tree, her mind working furiously.

He loved her.

Suspecting his feelings, which she had for a long time, and having Aang confess- blurt, really- them to her were two different things. All she could think of as he said it was that she wanted things to stay the way they were, the way they had been since the end of the war. They were supposed to be Aang and Toph, best friends. They were frequently the Avatar and his earthbending master, traveling around the world together. But never had she imagined them someday being _husband _and_ wife_!

He didn't propose, she reminded herself. He just said he loved her. But how far apart were the two? All of the couples she knew well (or at least those she could recall without much thought) started with confessions of love: Hothead and Sweetness, Snoozles and Fan-girl, even the Earth King and Vana. She wasn't ready for that. Toph let out a short, harsh laugh. She couldn't even handle her best friend saying that he loved her. Of course she wasn't ready to be married. Even if she did feel the same way about him… which she _couldn't_. Feelings like that only led to things she didn't want, and therefore such feelings had to be squashed.

She felt Aang's footsteps approaching. "Toph?" His voice was hesitant, questioning.

She sighed. "Yeah, Twinkletoes?"

He relaxed a little and tried to smile, taking her use of his longtime nickname as a good sign. "Some joke, huh?"

Toph froze, her face turned in his direction. "What?"

"Me saying I loved you, I mean. It was a great joke, wasn't it? The look on your face…" Aang cleared his throat. "We should get going. The sooner we visit your parents, the sooner we can leave them. Then, once we look for information on Azula, we won't have to come back here for a long time… unless you want to."

Toph pushed away from the tree. "Right. Let's go." She walked back towards their campsite. If Aang wanted to lie to her and try to pretend he didn't mean what he said, then so be it.

Aang watched her go. It was better this way, he told himself. It was obviously what Toph wanted, and he didn't want to upset her again. If his heart broke a little more with each moment that passed, well… he'd have to become good at hiding things like that.

--------

Mai wasn't sure which idea was worse: the Earth King's palace giving tours every Monday, or going on such a tour with Azula. For once the expert knife-thrower knew exactly what the former princess was thinking as she looked around the halls they'd briefly roamed. Azula spent longer than the others on the tour staring at the Earth King's empty throne and only left the throne room when the tour guide, a woman named Joo-Dee, insisted that the group move on.

Being in the palace again was strange to Azula. It wasn't like going home again, but almost similar. Something in her connected to this place. Something that had been wrong for a while was beginning to be right again.

--------

They left Appa outside Gaoling, where he would be safe and away from the crowds of admirers Aang always attracted. Aang and Toph walked to the town in the same awkward silence they'd kept since earlier that morning. By the time they reached the market-square, Aang was glad for the distraction that a nearby performance provided.

"Hey, someone's dancing over there." He didn't bother to point, because he knew the gesture was lost on the blind earthbender and she could feel the vibrations.

She frowned. "It's someone we know."

They made their way through the crowd surrounding the musicians and the single dancer, finally standing at the front.

Ty Lee twirled, expecting to meet the eyes of one of her many admirers. Instead she found herself staring into the astonished gray eyes of the Avatar.

--------

"I can explain," Ty Lee insisted once she, Aang, and Toph were seated in a cozy booth at Gaoling's most popular teahouse. The place was crowded, but the three had been waited upon immediately. Toph and Aang ended up sharing one side of the booth, putting Ty Lee across from them. She leaned back and sighed, purposefully blowing a few strands of her bangs out of her face. Aang glanced at his companion, and the acrobat on the other side of the table didn't miss the momentary sadness in his eyes. She tilted her head in confusion, her own eyes asking a silent question.

Aang shook his head. "Start explaining."

Ty Lee bit her lip. "I was happy at the circus, and I didn't mind having to stay there. But when Azula showed up… something about her makes me follow her. So I did."

"How did you end up here, then?"

"I'm… taking care of a baby. For a friend. Azula didn't want anything to do with him, so she and Mai left without me." That was most of the truth, at least.

Toph made a small sound of disbelief, and Ty Lee prayed that the Avatar and his companion would not ask for more details. She was lucky.

"Do you know where Azula was headed?" Aang asked.

Ty Lee resisted the urge to sigh in relief. "No. They- well, Azula- hadn't decided the last time I saw them. That was almost a month ago."

Aang fought his urge to sigh in disappointment. "I should write to Zuko and tell him where you are."

The acrobat's eyes widened in fear. "Please don't. I know Zuko wouldn't want to, but the law says he'd have to execute me if I ever went back. And if you told him I was here, he'd have to send soldiers to take me back to the Fire Nation."

Aang met her eyes steadily. "I know. That's why I'm not going to write to him unless I have to. Toph and I won't be staying in Gaoling long, and we probably won't see you again." He stood up and moved out of the booth. Toph followed. The Avatar bowed to the acrobat. "It was… nice… to see you, Ty Lee. Good luck." They left.

Ty Lee slumped in her seat for a moment. Then she too left the teahouse, knowing that she did not have time to be miserable. Bane was waiting for her.

--------

"She didn't tell us the whole truth," Toph informed Aang as they walked toward the Bei Fong mansion. "About why she was here, I mean. She really doesn't know where Azula went."

Aang sighed. "I know. But as long as she's not causing trouble, I don't see why she can't stay here. I'd rather not be responsible for her death."

They reached the gates of the Bei Fong residence, where they were immediately recognized by the guards. Lao Bei Fong had revoked his accusation of kidnapping several years ago, and Aang was now allowed, if not entirely welcome, into their home.

The traveling companions, after a delay of several minutes in the entrance hall, were ushered into a sitting room, where Toph's parents were waiting. Both of them stood and bowed in respect of the position of Avatar. Aang bowed back.

Lao smiled at his daughter. "I am glad you have come home, Toph. I hope that you and the Avatar will be staying for dinner."

"We'd love to," Aang replied before Toph could say anything. A small pillar shot up from the ground and hit him in the butt. "Ow!"

The Bei Fongs pretended not to notice. "Excellent. You are not the only guest, Avatar Aang. Oroka, the son of Master Honoka of the Chin family, will be joining us."

Toph's eyes narrowed. Aang, looking back and forth between a mutinous Toph and her father's pasted-on smile, gulped.

--------

For the first time in longer than she cared to remember, Azula looked at herself in the mirror that hung on the wall of the room she and Mai shared in an inn in Ba Sing Se's lower ring. She had a clear picture in her mind of what she had once looked like, and compared the two images. Small, thin scars covered her left cheek. They weren't as obvious or disfiguring as Zuko's scar, but the remnants of her last battle still disgusted her.

"Six years," Azula whispered to her reflection, running her fingertips down the mirror's polished wooden frame. "Six years ago this city was mine. It isn't anymore, and I don't want it now."

Mai looked up from her sewing (repairing a dress Azula had ripped at some point on their long journey) in slight surprise.

"What I want," Azula continued as she turned away from the mirror, "is retribution. Hiding in Ba Sing Se, reminiscing about days gone by, will not get me what I want."

Mai waited, staring at her longtime companion as though she'd never seen her before. In truth, she hadn't seen _this_ Azula since the Day of the Black Sun.

Azula smiled- something she hadn't done in years- and felt the scars on her cheek stretch a little. "We're leaving, Mai. There's nothing more to be gained here."

Mai didn't bother to fight the urge to smile back. "Good," she said as she stood up. "This place is more boring than it was the last time we were here."

Azula laughed. "This _is_ the last time we'll be in Ba Sing Se. We're going home. But first, we'll have to retrieve Ty Lee."

---End Chapter Five---

And just when you thought Ty Lee was going to be safe… That's right, Azula's getting back to her old self. Be afraid, be very afraid. I know this chapter was a little shorter than usual, so please forgive me for that. Hope you enjoyed it, and please review!


	6. One Short Day

This is the fastest update I've had in a while… at least on this story. And I'm afraid it is to my great sorrow that I must inform you, my beloved readers, that I will not be able to update again until mid-January. This is due to Christmas break, during which I will have almost no internet access. An enormous thanks goes out to silver-eyed, pureangel86, Silver Shadow75, StoryBook95, JessicaDanielle, Luiz4200, tailedfox225, and rutger5000, who were the only people to review the last chapter. I really am sorry about the slow updates, folks, but some things can not be helped. So, here's chapter six. Enjoy!

I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

**Shaping the World**

--Chapter Six: One Short Day--

Aang paced the hallway outside of Toph's room. The Bei Fongs had sent several servants to make sure their daughter cleaned up and dress appropriately for their dinner. Aang had, thankfully, been shown to a nice guest room and left to his own devices. He'd washed and dressed quickly and was now left with nothing to do but wait for Toph. He was sure that the annoyed shouts (most likely from his earthbending teacher) and a few shrieks (which were surely from the maids) were not a good sign in terms of progress. After two hours of pacing, the door to Toph's room finally opened. Five maids filed out, fairly disheveled but appearing to be rather pleased with themselves. And then Aang caught sight of Toph.

It had been years since Aang had seen Toph in the pastel greens and whites that her parents preferred she wear. Even at the formal events they'd attended over the years, she had donned brighter shades. It couldn't be a matter of Toph's preference, because color didn't make any difference to her. Still, it marked a separation. Toph's black hair was bound in a high bun, the bangs pinned out of her face. She wore just a little bit of makeup, tastefully done. She looked very pretty, and her parents were sure to be pleased.

Aang simply thought that she didn't look like _his_ Toph. His Toph would let her long hair loose, her bangs hanging in front of her hazy eyes in spite of the ever-present headband. His Toph was dirty and sarcastic and strong and _free_. His Toph was not merely pretty, but beautiful.

Aang had to remind himself that he shouldn't think of her as _his_, because Toph belonged to no one but herself. Not that her parents believed that yet. They still wanted to cage their daughter, first in their home and now in a marriage, probably with the dinner guest, Oroka. Aang knew he wouldn't have to defend her. Toph was perfectly capable of doing that herself. And at the moment, Toph did not look happy.

Aang forced himself to smile at the maids. "You can go now. I'll take her downstairs." The women vanished in that mysterious way the Avatar had noticed servants had the tendency to do, and he linked his arm with Toph's.

"It's just one meal," Aang said with more cheer than he felt. "Then we can sneak out the back."

Toph laughed, a real smile gracing her features for the first time since they'd entered her parent's house. "I like sneaking out. It brings back good memories." Memories of the Earth Rumble tournaments, of meeting Twinkletoes for the first time, of leaving home to teach him earthbending. Definitely good memories, Toph thought as she and Aang made their way downstairs.

--

Toph's parents were waiting for them in the same parlor they'd previously vacated, this time with a young man, about twenty years old, who could only be the dinner guest.

Oroka Chin was extremely handsome and knew it. Toph could sense his over-confidence the moment she stepped into the parlor, and it irked her. Aang, right behind her, could _see_ it. It irked him even more.

"Toph, this is Oroka of the Chin family. His father is a very successful merchant, and Oroka is following in his footsteps. His father and I," Lao Bei Fong said carefully, "have entered negotiations for a marriage between the two of you."

Toph stiffened, her forced smile vanishing instantly. Aang wanted to put a hand on her shoulder, soothe her somehow, but he didn't.

"Oroka, this is our daughter Toph. She has been traveling with the Avatar."

Oroka bowed low. "It is a great pleasure to meet both of you, Lady Bei Fong in particular. Avatar Aang, what business brings you to Gaoling?"

Aang controlled himself. "Toph and I are both here on business for the World Council." The young merchant was similar to Haru in appearance, Aang decided, but without Haru's clear sense of kindness.

"Shall we go in to dinner, then?" Toph's mother suggested.

Oroka bowed again and put his hand on Toph's arm. Toph's parents smiled. Aang scowled. Toph removed her arm and walked into the dining room on her own.

--

Most of dinner proceeded in awkward silence.

"Toph, dear, Oroka comes from a very prestigious family in Omashu," Mrs. Bei Fong announced, trying to start a conversation that might lessen the tension in the room.

"How delightful," Toph responded with unrepentant sarcasm. She turned in Oroka's general direction. "What do you think of King Bumi?" She had met the king for the first time shortly after the war ended, when Aang had taken her to Omashu to ride on the delivery chutes.

Oroka cleared his throat uncomfortably. "He is rather old for his position," he said carefully, "and I believe age has affected his mind."

Toph laughed. "Really? I rather like the crazy old coot." A smirk slowly crept onto her lips. "Are you an earthbender?"

The young merchant lifted his head proudly. "I was taught by the best tutor in Ba Sing Se, my lady. He was a former member of the Dai Li."

"Hmph." Toph kicked the leg of her chair. "I probably kicked his butt. Do you think you could beat me?"

Oroka hesitated. Aang, sitting across the table, coughed in an attempt to cover up his grin.

"Toph, darling, I hardly think that's an appropriate topic of discussion," Mrs. Bei Fong said warningly.

Toph chose to ignore her. "It's a simple question," she prompted Oroka. "Do you think you could beat me or not?"

"It would not be a fair fight, my lady," Oroka said finally.

Toph's eyes narrowed, and Aang perked up slightly, knowing what was coming. "Why not?"

"Because you are… that is, you…" The young man was apparently extremely uncomfortable now.

Toph smirked in Aang's direction. "You hear that, Twinkletoes? He thinks he would win because I'm blind!"

"Young lady, that is quite enough!" Lao Bei Fong's control, held in check throughout the meal, had finally snapped. "Go to your room!"

Toph pushed back her chair and exited the room, but not without running her hand over the back of Aang's chair on the way out. "Meet me in the garden in an hour," she whispered.

"I'm very sorry about this, Oroka," Lao said. "I have been indulgent where Toph is concerned for far too long. Please excuse me." He stood up, presumably to give his daughter a proper scolding. Never mind that she'd been home rather infrequently since she was twelve and planned on sneaking out of the house as soon as she could. One had to keep up appearances, after all. Mrs. Bei Fong murmured another apology and followed her husband. Aang waited until Toph's parents left the room before turning to Oroka.

"Do you want to know what you did wrong?" he asked bluntly.

The merchant blinked, having been lost in very confused thought. "Hmm? Oh, Avatar Aang." He regained his composure quickly, but he at least had the decency to look slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry you had to witness such a display."

Aang shook his head. "You're sorry about the wrong thing. You underestimated her. For one thing, Toph could kick your sorry butt from here to Ba Sing Se and back again without a whole lot of effort. None of the stories about _her_ from the war were exaggerated very much."

Oroka's eyes widened as he stared at the Avatar in disbelief. "But she's still…"

"Your second mistake," Aang continued, "was seeing her blindness and not _her_. Toph hates that."

"But she…" Oroka tried to protest.

Aang wasn't going to let him finish. "She's not a porcelain doll to be protected and put on a shelf. She's not going to break if you touch her. Not that _you_ ever will."

"What do you mean? Her parents and mine are still discussing…"

"That doesn't matter," Aang said firmly. "Toph and I are leaving tonight, and after what just happened, I doubt we'll be coming back for a few years at the least."

Oroka straightened rather pompously. "I will show you respect because you are the Avatar, but you really shouldn't speak in such a manner. My father-"

Aang stood up, walked over to the young merchant, and poked him in the chest, pushing him backwards.

"Let's get a few things straight, pal. King Bumi is a mad genius and way smarter than you'll ever be. The Bei Fong fortune is not up for grabs. And Toph won't marry you because she doesn't want to. End of story." He left the dining room, not through the door but by jumping out of the window and into the garden.

--

"You sounded like Snoozles back there."

Aang blinked in surprise at the sound of Toph's voice and the sight of her leaning against the wall of the house with her arms crossed. "I thought you said you'd be here in an hour."

She shrugged. "I decided to tunnel out instead of sitting through my dad's rant about proper behavior for a young lady of my standing." Toph stretched. "You ready to go?"

"With you?" Aang smiled. "Always."

Toph laughed. "You say that every time." She knew he meant it, too, but she wasn't going to say anything about that. "Come on, Twinkletoes. Let's blow this cabbage stand."

Aang sighed happily as Appa flew away from Gaoling. Toph was curled up in a corner of Appa's saddle, still wearing her nicer clothes but her hair released from its confinement and hanging all around her. Aang sat in the opposite corner, watching her. "What are you thinking about?" he asked.

She smiled. "I'm thinking about how I don't think I could ever live without this. Flying around the world with you, I mean. Never having to worry about curfews or marriages or anything, but just being us. I don't think I ever want to do anything else."

Aang smiled back, even though she couldn't see it. He might love Toph for the rest of his life, and she might never return his feelings, but at least they would always have this.

--End Chapter Six--

And so they escaped, and next chapter will be even more Taangy. For my Zutara fans, there will be more of that in later chapters. We're getting closer to the point where I'm going to pull a Naruto and do a time-skip, so look forward to that. Thanks for reading, and please review!


	7. A Sentimental Man

I love this story dearly, but it is harder to write for some reason than my other stuff… maybe because it goes on as though Season Three never happened, which I'm sad about on the one hand and unapologetic about on the other. So… yeah. New chapter, yay! One more after this before I time-skip, because I keep changing my mind about things I planned ages ago. But don't worry, we'll finish before summer. At the rate Season Three's going, I might even finish before them! Just kidding, and please don't even attempt to hold me to that. Enjoy!

I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

**Shaping the World**

--Chapter Seven: A Sentimental Man--

_Looking at the boy was almost like looking at himself in a mirror twenty years ago, Zuko thought. The boy's scar was on the right side of his face instead of the left, but the two were eerily alike. This one was Azula's handiwork rather than Ozai's, of course. Like father, like daughter. _

"_Why are you here?" Zuko asked. He already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from the boy. _

"_I came to the palace to avenge my mother's death," the boy said honestly. It was one of the few times in the last few months he'd been honest with anyone. _

"_I didn't kill your mother," was the reply. "Since you were honest with me, I will show you the same courtesy. Your mother's death was an accident. I won't say that I didn't want to kill her, but I was not the cause of her death." _

"_I'm sure," the boy replied sarcastically. "It doesn't matter. She wanted you dead, and I'm going to see that her wish is fulfilled." _

"_What do you plan to do after you've killed me? Will you destroy my family and take the throne of the Fire Nation for yourself? That's what she planned to do." _

"_I have no interest in ruling the Fire Nation. As to your family… I have no interest in them either." The boy's green-gold eyes flashed as he summoned a lightning bolt and fired it at Zuko. The Fire Lord prepared to deflect the bolt and send it back towards its source. _

"_Uncle Zuko, no!" a female voice cried. _

_In the moment just after Zuko was distracted by his niece's shout, the lightning was redirected back towards the boy. But something was wrong. Zuko felt his lungs constrict, felt his heart- _

Zuko sat up in his bed, breathing hard. Next to him Katara stirred, blinking in sleepy confusion.

"Zuko? What's wrong?"

The Fire Lord shook his head. "It's nothing," he reassured his wife. "Just a dream."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." He kissed her on the forehead. "Go back to sleep."

Katara yawned. "If you say so." She quickly drifted off.

Zuko stayed awake a little longer.

--

"Where are we going, Twinkletoes?" Toph asked after several hours of flying.

Aang just smiled. "You'll find out."

Toph blew her bangs out of her face. "We're going north. I can tell that much, because it's getting colder. Ba Sing Se was never this cold, so we must be headed to the North Pole."

"Can't you just let me surprise you this once?"

"I don't like surprises. Shouldn't we be looking for Azula?"

"We don't know which direction she went in after she left Gaoling. Until someone sees her and reports it, I figure we have a little extra time." He handed her something. "Here, put these on. You'll need them."

Toph felt the bundle. It was one of Katara's old parkas wrapped around a pair of boots- probably the pair she'd worn when they went to the South Pole for Sokka and Suki's wedding. "I knew it."

--

While she had long ago accepted that she was and would always be blind, Toph did not like _feeling_ blind. Wearing shoes (or boots) made her feel blind, but she had no other choice in a land where frostbite could ruin her earthbending skills forever. So she let Aang lead her by the hand through the Northern Water Tribe's magnificent city of ice and snow, having no sense of her surroundings other than that everything was cold. She wasn't fond of cold either.

"I assume you're taking be someplace 'fun'?" she asked.

Aang laughed. "Patience, Toph, patience."

Finally he stopped in front of a small door built into an ice wall at the back of the city. "Anyone outside of the royal family has to have special permission to come here," he told his companion. "Being the Avatar does have a few advantages."

Toph smirked. "You didn't bring me all the way here just to brag, did you?"

Aang smiled. "No." He opened the door. "Come on." He stepped through the doorway and pulled her in after him.

Toph gasped. Wherever they were, it was _warm_. "What is this place?" she breathed.

"Welcome to the Spirit Oasis, Toph. You can take off the parka and boots if you want."

He didn't have to tell her twice. The boots were off in an instant, and the blind earthbender sighed happily as she wiggled her toes before standing in the center of the oasis to get a better sense of the place.

Aang watched her for a moment. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Toph inhaled the scent of grass and something else she couldn't identify, but decided she liked anyway.

Aang bit his lip. "Why won't you get married, Toph?"

The earthbender sighed again, this time in slight annoyance. "I've told you that a million times, Twinkletoes…"

"I know. Please, just answer the question?"

She sighed a third time. "Lots of reasons. I definitely don't want to marry anyone my parents pick out for me. They'd try to turn me into a real lady or something, and I just can't have that." It was the same thing she always said, and she intended to keep saying it until it was no longer true.

"I'd never try to change you," Aang said softly.

Toph continued, trying to fight off her rising blush. "And they'd probably try to boss me around; that'd be a big mistake."

"I know better than to tell you to do anything you don't want to do." Aang took a step towards her.

"And I couldn't possibly marry someone who didn't absolutely love me for me and not my parents' money," she said, her voice slightly less sure and strong than when she'd begun.

Another step. "I've loved you for years. Money doesn't mean anything to me."

"I couldn't marry somebody that I didn't love." She was almost as quiet as he was this time.

"You love me," Aang whispered, leaning closer.

Toph didn't move away. "I never said that."

Aang smiled. "You didn't have to."

Aang had always thought he would be the one to make the first move. It wasn't that he didn't think Toph was capable of it; he'd just assumed the first move would be his. He'd waited for the right moment for so long, anticipated it, and so Aang was caught off guard when Toph kissed him. Well, tried to kiss him. She got his cheek instead. He just smiled and kissed her back, this time on the lips.

"I love you," she said when they parted. And then she popped his little bubble of happiness. "But I won't marry you."

Aang blinked. "What?"

"At least, not yet. Not until both of us are truly ready for it. And probably not until my parents calm down, which is going to take a while. And we still have to finish visiting the whole world, and you promised to take me to the Rose Blooming Festival in Bara again this summer, and-"

"Toph?"

"What?"

"I never thought I'd have to say this to you, but…" Aang smiled. "Be quiet." And he kissed her again.

--

All Ty Lee wanted after the war was to be left alone. She'd enjoyed her life at the circus, once she'd gone back to it. But then Azula appeared at one of her shows, and a little part of Ty Lee died.

Azula's escape had nearly ruined every dream Ty Lee had for her life, until Bane's birth. When Azula didn't want him, Ty Lee was secretly glad. Here was her chance to leave and be normal again. She'd always wanted children, and Bane was such a sweet child (he must have gotten it from his father, because the spirits knew Azula had never been _sweet_). That part of her Azula had killed was given new life and started to grow again.

And then Azula turned up at her door once more. Ty Lee wanted to cry, scream, throw a fit, slam the door in Azula's face and never regret any of it for an instant. Instead she invited the former princess and Mai inside. The part of her that was growing so well cowered in fear, because she knew what was coming next.

"Hello, Ty Lee. It's good to see you again." It was mostly a lie, but it was so easy for Azula to lie again, and she reveled in it. "And there's little Bane. I don't suppose he remembers me?" She looked at the baby, who was almost a year old.

Ty Lee knew the moment she heard Azula's voice something had changed since they'd last seen each other. Not just that Azula had changed her mind; it was that Azula's mind had changed. Her golden eyes no longer had the slightly crazed look Mai and Ty Lee had become used to over the past two years, but had returned to their former glory: she was in complete control, and that scared Ty Lee much more than an Azula who'd already crossed the thin line into insanity.

Bane stretched out his arms in Azula's direction, as he usually did when he wanted to be picked up. His smile was wide. "Mama!"

Ty Lee shivered as she had the night Bane stuck his hand in the fire. It wasn't possible; he couldn't know who Azula was. She'd never even held him before. And that this of all things would be his first word…

But even as Ty Lee thought this, the former Fire Nation princess laughed. Then she smirked. "He's intelligent after all. Perhaps he does take after me." She offered her hand to the boy, who grabbed it in a gesture Ty Lee had previously found endearing. Now it frightened her. Azula picked Bane up somewhat awkwardly, the motion strange because she had only one usable arm. Ty Lee marveled at the apparent maternal feeling in Azula's expression, but she knew the other look in the former princess's eyes all too well.

"Mama," Bane said again, softer this time, as he snuggled himself closer to Azula.

Ty Lee willed herself not to cry.

--End Chapter Seven--

There you go. Taang, Azula's back in evil action, and Zuzu had a freaky dream. His freaky dream is relevant, but it will be more so if I do a third story. Yes, a sequel to this sequel. Whether or not it happens is still questionable, so you need not worry about it. Thanks for reading, and please review!


	8. Defying Gravity

Okay, there is a totally logical explanation for my unplanned six-month hiatus. The campus network decided that this website was Facebook, and students are not allowed to access Facebook in the library. Since I don't have a laptop of my very own, I couldn't update. I apologize for this.

I also apologize for the fact that when I finally do update, I give you what is, in essence, filler. Enjoy!

I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

**Shaping the World**

--Chapter Eight: Defying Gravity--

"Any word from the Avatar or Lady Bei Fong?" Iroh asked his nephew as they stood on a balcony overlooking the harbor.

Zuko shook his head but did not look away from the water. "Not about Azula. There was a short letter a few days ago saying they're coming back to the Fire Nation for a little while before they go to Bara for the Rose Blooming Festival." He grimaced. "They go to that stupid thing every year."

Iroh smiled slightly. "I seem to remember you didn't mind so much the second time you went."

Zuko turned away so the wise old general couldn't see his face. "That was different, Uncle."

Iroh shrugged. "For you, perhaps, the situations are different. I do not believe much separates the motives behind your trip two years ago from the Avatar and Lady Bei Fong's trip this year."

"Toph and Aang aren't married."

"It's only a matter of time, Nephew. Speaking of marriage, your wife looked quite radiant at breakfast this morning."

Zuko smiled in spite of himself. "She's always radiant." His smile faded as he sighed deeply. "Do you think I'll be a good father, Uncle?"

Iroh's expression was perfectly serious. "I do not think that is what is truly bothering you."

"It's not, but will you please answer the question anyway?"

"If you always remember to not follow the majority of your father's example, I think you will be fine. Now, what is really troubling you?"

Zuko turned back to the harbor. "It's nothing."

--Five Months Later--

Aang, Toph, and Sokka watched as Zuko paced outside the Fire Lady's (rarely-used) chamber. He'd been doing so for the past twelve hours. Katara had gone into labor in the afternoon, and though it was now in the extremely early hours of the morning of October 24th, Zuko had not stopped pacing outside her door the entire time.

Sokka yawned. He and Aang, at least, had had the sense to catch a few hours of sleep (Toph was still asleep and leaning against the Avatar), but all attempts to get the Fire Lord to do so had been futile. Sokka had to remind himself that he had been just as bad when Sari was born, and would probably do the same thing again for his next child.

"Zuko, buddy, I know you're anxious, but you could at least sit down. There's no telling how much longer it'll be."

Zuko shook his head. "If I sit down, I'll fall asleep."

Sokka snorted. "At the rate you're going, I'm amazed you're not sleeping as you pace. C'mon, sitting down for a while isn't going to kill you."

Zuko glanced at the door one more time before joining his brother-in-law on the cushioned bench set against the opposite wall. "I shouldn't be this nervous."

"It's natural. You're about to be a father." Sokka glanced over at Aang and smirked when he saw that the younger man had fallen asleep again. "He's gonna be worse, if it makes you feel better."

Zuko's mask cracked. "He probably will… And Toph will be the calm one."

"Nah, Toph'll be screaming her head off about how he did this to her and she's never letting him touch her again. Face it, Zuko. You and I married pushy women, but Aang's going to marry the pushiest of them all."

Zuko chuckled. "I don't suggest you let her hear you say that."

"Too late," Toph murmured.

Just as Sokka's eyes widened in fear, the doors to Katara's room opened and Suki stepped out, carrying a bundle wrapped in a red blanket. She smiled. "May I present his royal highness, the crown prince of the Fire Nation?"

Zuko was off the bench and holding his son in an instant. Suki and Sokka exchanged knowing looks as Zuko stared down at the baby, the expression one never before seen on his face. "How's Katara?" he asked, taking his eyes off his son for a moment.

Suki's smile widened. "Come see for yourself."

Zuko followed Suki into the room. He expected to see Katara sitting up in the enormous bed, looking tired but happy. He did not expect to see her holding another baby.

Suki burst out laughing at Zuko's expression, and Katara giggled a little. "Twins," she clarified for her dumbfounded husband. "A boy and a girl."

Zuko managed to regain his composure and walk over to his wife, ignoring the amused looks from the still-present midwives, with Suki at his heels. "What are their names?" the Kyoshi warrior asked.

"The boy is Hakaru and the girl is Inka," Zuko said softly. Katara nodded in agreement.

* * *

Azula pulled Bane into her lap, and the child beamed up at her. He was over a year old now, and she didn't do this often. Usually it was Ty Lee who held him and cared for him, even now that they had rejoined Azula and Mai. Or rather, the four had moved into a small house on the outskirts of Gaoling. When Bane was older, they would move on again. For now, Azula agreed to wait. Ty Lee kept her job as a dancer, but Bane could now be left at home.

Azula made sure her son was looking at her before she began to speak. "You are young, Bane. Most likely you are too young to fully understand what I am telling you, but no matter. I will repeat it until you know every word verbatim and the significance. You are the son of the princess of the Fire Nation. Your grandfather, Fire Lord Ozai, came unbearably close to ruling the entire world. He _should_ have managed it, but he was defeated by the Avatar. Now your traitorous uncle Zuko sits on the throne. To add further insult to injury, he married a peasant from the Southern Water Tribe. I despise my brother, Bane, and you will learn to do the same."

He tilted his head, his green-gold eyes wide, and slowly smiled. Azula sighed. "Ty Lee, in her foolishness, has tried to teach you only love and joy. _I_ will teach you truth. I will teach you to be strong. My first lesson is something that my father taught me. The world is meant to suit us, Bane. If for some reason it does not, we change the shape and make it suit us."

--Three Years Later--

On her wedding day, a very small part of Toph Bei Fong wished that she wasn't blind. It wasn't because she wanted to see how she looked in her new dress, or that she wanted to see all of the lovely decorations the citizens of Kyoshi had put in the mayor's garden, which was where her wedding would take place. No, Toph's only reason for wishing she could see was so she could see the enormous smile on Aang's face as an Earth Sage (called in especially for the occasion) performed the ceremony that made them husband and wife.

The ceremony and the reception that followed made the Avatar's marriage to Toph Bei Fong the most exclusive celebrity wedding the world had seen since that of the Fire Lord six years previous. It was so exclusive, in fact, that only the Fire Nation royal family, Sokka, Suki, and their children were present. Toph's parents had been invited, if only to show good will, but they hadn't been able to make to Kyoshi in time. Toph and Aang weren't exactly disappointed.

Afterwards Sokka and Suki's two older daughters (four-year-old Sari and two-year-old Suna) and their cousins (three-year-old fraternal twins Hakaru and Inka) played with "Uncle" Aang- who had grown much better with children since Sari was a baby- while Sokka and Suki each held on to one of their two youngest. Identical twins Mina and Lina were eight months old and squirmy, while Katara and Zuko's two-month-old daughter Kira rested peacefully in her mother's arms.

It was difficult to determine whether Toph shoved wedding cake into her new husband's face accidentally or on purpose, but it was eventually decided that it didn't matter, since Aang laughed about it.

* * *

Azula started teaching Bane firebending on his fifth birthday. He did not fuss, and he did not complain when she corrected his mistakes. She never had to correct a mistake more than once. She had no patience with teaching the more common subjects of arithmetic, reading, writing, and history; she left those to Mai instead.

"- who was the father of Fire Lord Sozin, who was the father of Fire Lord Azulon, who was the father of Fire Lord Ozai, who was the father of Fire Lord Zuko." Bane had kept his eyes closed as he recited, though he had little trouble remembering the names. He opened his green-gold eyes now and looked at his teacher. "Auntie Mai?"

"Yes, Bane?" Mai looked up from the book of Fire Nation history she was "teaching from", a nonsensical concept since she knew every word of the book by heart.

Bane never asked questions when Azula was teaching him. To question anything of her was to ask to be punished. And Ty Lee, while a wonderful playmate, just wasn't the sort you asked things that seemed important. "If we live in the Earth Kingdom, why does Mother want me to learn Fire Nation history?"

Mai's expression remained serious. "Because your mother was once a member of the Fire Nation royal family, and she considers it more important than other history."

"Does that make me part of the royal family, since she was?"

"No. Your mother… does not get along well with your uncle the Fire Lord."

"Oh." The boy frowned as he processed this information. "Why?"

"They disagree on almost everything. You'll understand it better when you're older. Recite the Fire Lords again."

Bane sighed and did as he was told.

--End Chapter Eight--

I had a choice, when I came to this point in the story. I could do a chapter covering Aang and Toph's return to the Fire Nation and little else of relevance before skipping almost six years between this and the next chapter, or I could give you tidbits of what happened in those six years. I chose the latter, and I hope you liked it.

Thanks for reading, and please review!


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